The Eye of the World/Glossary
The Eye of the World glossary is at the end of the first book. It includes descriptions of item and explanations of concepts and of characters from the first book with the knowledge learned from the text of the book. A ; Adan, Heran (ay-DAN, HEHran) :Governor of Baerlon. ; Aes Sedai (EYEZ seh-DEYE) :Wielders of the One Power. Since the Time of Madness, all surviving Aes Sedai are women. Widely distrusted and feared, even hated, they are blamed by many for the Breaking of the World, and are generally thought to meddle in the affairs of nations. At the same time, few rulers will be without an Aes Sedai advisor, even in lands where the existence of such a connection must be kept secret. Used as an honorific, so: Sheriam Sedai; and as a high honorific, so: Sheriam Aes Sedai. See also:Ajah; Amyrlin Seat ; Age Lace :See: Pattern of an Age ; Age of Legends :The Age ended by the War of the Shadow and the Breaking of the World. A time when Aes Sedai performed wonders now only dreamed of.See also:Wheel of Time ; Agelmar; Lord Agelmar of House of Jagad (AGH-el-mar; JAH-gad) :Lord of Fal Dara. His sign is three running red foxes. ; Aiel (eye-EEL) :The people Aiel Waste. Fierce and hardy. Also called Aielmen. They veil their faces before they kill, giving rise to the saying "acting like a black-veiled Aiel" to decribe someone who is being violent. Deadly warriors with weapons or with nothing but their bare hands, they will not touch a sword. Their pipers play them into battle with the music of dances, and Aielmen call battle "the Dance". ; Aiel Waste :The harsh, rugged and all-but-waterless land east of the Spine of the World. Few outsiders venture there, not only because water is almost impossible to find for one not born there, but because the Aiel consider themselves at war with all other peoples and do not welcome strangers. ; Ajah (AH-jah) :Societies among the Aes Sedai, to which all Aes Sedai belong. They are designated by colors: Blue Ajah, Red Ajah, White Ajah, Gree Ajah, Brown Ajah, Yellow Ajah, and Gray Ajah. Each follows a specific pjilosophy of the use of the One Power and purposes of the Aes Sedai. For example, the Red Ajah bends all its energies to finding and gentling men who are attempting to wield the Power. The Brown Ajah, on the other hand, forsakes involvment with the world and dedicates itself to seeking knowledge. There are rumors (hotly denied, and never safely mentioned in front of any Aes Sedai) of a Black Ajah, dedicated to serving the Dark One. ; Al Ellisande! (ahlehl-lih-SAHN-dah) :In the Old Tongue, "For the Rose of the Sun!" ; Aldieb (ahl-DEEB) :In the Old Tongue, "West Wind," the wind that brings the spring rains. ; al'Meara, Nynaeve (ahl-MEER-ah, NIGN-neev) :The Wisdom of Emond's Field. ; al'Thor, Rand (ahl-THOR, RAND) :A young farmer and sheepherder from the Two Rivers. ; al'Vere, Egwene (ahl-VEER, eh-GWAIN) :Youngest daughter of the innkeeper in Emond's Field. ; Amyrlin Seat (AHM-ehr-lin) :(1.) The title of the leader of the Aes Sedai. Elected for life by the Hall of the Tower, the highest council of the Aes Sedai, which consists of three representatives from each of the seven Ajahs. The Amyrlin Seat has, throtetically st least, almost supreme authority among the Aes Sedai. She ranks as the equal of a king or queen. (2.) The throne upon which the leader of the Aes Sedai sits. ; Andor (AN-door) :The realm within which the Two Rivers lies. The sign of Andor is a rampant white lion on a field of red. ; angreal (ahn-gree-AHL) :A very rare object which allows anyone capable of channeling the One Power to handle a greater amount of the Power than would be safely possible unaided. Remnants of the Age of Legends, the means of their making is no longer known. See also: sa'angreal ; Arafel (AH-rah-fehl) :One of the Borderlands. The sign of Arafel is threewhite roses on a field of red, quartered with three red roses on a field of white. ; Aram (AY-ram) :A young man of the Tuatha'an. ; Avendesora (Ah-vehn-deh-SO-rah) :In the Old Tongue, "the Tree of Life." Mentioned in many stories and legends. ; Aybara, Perrin (ay-BAHR-ah, PEHR-rihn) :A young blacksmith's apprentice from Emond's Field. B ; Ba'alzamon (bah-AHL-zah-mon) :In the Trolloc tongue, "Heart of the Dark." Believed to be the Trolloc name for the Dark One. ; Baerlon (BAYR-lon) :A city in Andor on the road from Caemlyn to the mines in the Mountains of Mist. ; Barran, Doral (BAHR-rahn, DOOR-ahl) :The wisdom in Emond's Field prior to Nynaeve al'Meara. ; Bel Tine (BEHL TINE) :Spring festival in the Two Rivers. ; biteme (BITE-me) :A small, almost invisible biting insect. ; Black Ajah :See Ajah. ; Blasted Lands :Desolated lands surronding Shayol Ghul, beyond the Great Blight. ; Blight, the :See Great Blight, the. ; Blue Ajah :See Ajah. ; Borderlands, the :The nations bordering the Great Blight: Saldaea, Arafel, Kandor, and Shienar. ; Bornhald, Dain (BOHRN-hahld, Day-ihn) :An officer pf the Children of the Light, son of Lord Captain Geofram Bornhald. ; Breaking of the World, the :When Lews Therin Telamon and the Hundred Companions resealed the Dark One's prison, the counterstroke tainted saidin. Eventually every male Aes Sedai went horribly insane. In their madness these men, who could wield the One Power to a degree now unknown, changed the face of earth. They cause great earthquakes, leveled mountain ranges, raised new mountains, lifted dry land where seas had been, made the ocean rush in where dry land had been. Many parts of the world were completely depopulated, and the survivors were scattered like dust on the wind. This destruction is remembered in stories, legends and history as the Breaking of the World. See also Hundred Companions, the ; Bryne, Gareth (BRIHN, GAH-rehth) :Captain-General of the Queen's Guard in Andor. Also serves as Morgase's First Prince of the Sword. His sign is three golden stars, each of five rays. ; Byar, Jaret (BY-ahr, JAH-ret) :An officer of the Children of the Light. C ; Caemlyn (KAYM-lihn) :The captial city of Andor. ; Cairhien (KEYE-ree-EHN) :Both a nation along the Spine of the World and the capital cift of that nation. The city was burned and looted during the Aiel Was (976-978 NE). The sign of Cairhien is a many-rayed golden sun rising from the bottom of a field of sky blue. ; Carai an Caldazar! (cah-REYE ahn cahl-dah-ZAHR) :In the Old Tongue, "For the honor of the Red Eagle!" The ancient battle cry of Manetheren. ; Carai an Ellisande! :In the Old Tongue, "For the honor of the Rose of the Sun!" The battle cry of the last king of Manetheren. ; Cauthon, Matrim (Mat) (CAW-thon, MAT-rihm) :A young farmer from the Two Rivers. ; channel :(1) (verb) To control the flow of the One Power. (2) (noun) The act of controlling the flow of the One Power. ; Charin, Jain (CHAH-rihm, JAY-ihn) :See Farstrider, Jain. ; Children of the Light :A society holding strict ascetic beliefs, dedicated to the defeat of the Dark One and the destruction of all Darkfriends. Founded buring the War of the Hundred Years by Lothair Mantelar (LOH-thayr MAHN-tee-LAHR) to proselytize against increasing numbers of Darkfriends, they evolved during the war into a completely military organization, extremely rigid in their beliefs and completely certain that only they know the truth and the right. They hate Aes Sedai, considering them, and any who support or befriend them, Darkfriends. They are known disparagingly as Whitecloaks; their sign is a golden sunburst on a field of white. ; Covenant of the Ten Nations :A union formed in the centuries after the Breaking of the World (circa 200 AB). Dedicated to the defeat of the Dark One. Broken apart by the Trolloc Wars. ; cuendillar (CWAIN-deh-yar) :See heartstone. D ; Damodred, Lord Galadedrid (DAHM-oh-drehd, gah-LAHD-eh-drihd) :Only son of Taringail Damodred and Tigraine; half-brother to Elayne and Gawyn. His sign is a winged silver sword, point-down ; Damodred, Prince Taringail (DAHM-oh-drehd, TAH-rihn-gail) :A Royal Prince of Cairhien, he married Tigraine and fathered Galadedrid. When Tigraine disappeared and was declared dead, he married Morgase and fathered Elayne and Gawyn. He vanished under mysterious circumstances and has been presumed dead for many years. His sign was a golden, double-bitted battle axe. ; Dark One :Most common name, used in every land, for Shai’tan: the source of evil, antithesis of the Creator. Imprisoned by the Creator at the moment of Creation in a prison at Shayol Ghul; an attempt to free him from that prison brought about the War of the Shadow, the tainting of saidin, the Breaking of the World, and the end of the Age of Legends. ; Dark One, naming the :Saying the true name of the Dark One (Shai’tan) draws his attention, inevitably bringing ill-fortune at best, disaster at worst. For that reason many euphemisms are used, among them the Dark One, Father of Lies, Sightblinder, Lord of the Grave, Shepherd of the Night, Heartsbane, Heartfang, Grassburner, and Leafblighter. Someone who seems to be inviting ill fortune is often said to be “naming the Dark One.” ; Darkfriends :Those who follow the Dark One and believe they will gain great power and rewards when he is freed from his prison. ; Daughter-heir :Title of the heir to the throne of Andor. The eldest daughter of the Queen succeeds her mother on the throne. Without a surviving daughter, the throne goes to the nearest female blood-relation of the Queen. ; Dha’vol, Dhai’mon (DAH-vohl, DEYE-mon) :See Trollocs. ; Djevik K’Shar (DJEH-vihk KEH-SHAHR) :In the Trolloc tongue, “The Dying Ground.” The Trolloc name for the Aiel Waste. ; Domon, Bayle (DOH-mon, BAIL) :The captain of the Spray. ; Dragon, the :The name by which Lews Therin Telamon was known during the War of the Shadow. In the madness which overtook all male Aes Sedai, Lews Therin killed every living person who carried any of his blood, as well as everyone he loved, thus earning the name Kinslayer. A saying is now used, “taken by the Dragon,” or “possessed of the Dragon,” to indicate that someone is endangering those around him or threatening them, especially if without cause. See also Dragon Reborn. ; Dragon, false :Occasionally men claim to be the Dragon Reborn, and sometimes one of them gains following enough to require an army to put it down. Some have begun wars that involved many nations. Over the centuries most have been men unable to channel the One Power, but a few could. All, however, either disappeared, or were captured or killed, without fulfilling any of the Prophecies concerning the Rebirth of the Dragon. These men are called false Dragons. See also Dragon Reborn. ; Dragon Reborn :According to prophecy and legend the Dragon will be born again at mankind’s greatest hour of need to save the world. This is not something people look forward to, both because the prophecies say the Dragon Reborn will bring a new Breaking to the world, and because Lews Therin Kinslayer, the Dragon, is a name to make men shudder, even more than three thousand years after his death. See also Dragon, the; Dragon, false. ; Dragon’s Fang, the :A stylized mark, usually black, in the shape of a teardrop balanced on its point. Scrawled on a door or a house, it is an accusation of evil against the people inside. ; Dreadlords :Those men and women who, able to channel the One Power, went over to the Shadow during the Trolloc Wars, acting as commanders of the Trolloc forces. E ; Easar; King Easar of House Togita (EE-zar; toh-GHEE-rah) :King of Shienar. His sign is a white hart, which according to Shienaran custom is held also to be a sign of Shienar along with the Black Hawk. ; Elaida (eh-LY-da) :An Aes Sedai who advises Queen Morgase of Andor. ; Elayne (ee-LAIN) :Queen Morgase’s daughter, the Daughter-heir to the Throne of Andor. Her sign is a golden lily. ; Else; Else Grinwell (EHLZ GRIHN-wehl) :A farmer’s daughter met on the Caemlyn Road. ; Eyeless, the :See Myrddraal. F ; Fade :See Myrddraal. ; Fain, Padan (FAIN, PAHD-ahn) :A peddler who arrives in Emond’s Field just before Winternight. ; Far Dareis Mai (FAHR DAH-rize MY) :Literally, “Maidens of the Spear.” One of a number of warrior societies of the Aiel; unlike any of the others, it admits women and only women. A Maiden may not marry and remain in the society, nor may she fight while carrying a child. Any child born to a Maiden is given to another woman to raise, in such a way that no one knows who the child’s mother was. (“You may belong to no man, nor may any man belong to you, nor any child. The spear is your lover, your child, and your life.”) These children are treasured, for it is prophesied that a child born of a Maiden will unite the clans and return to the Aiel to the greatness they knew during the Age of Legends. ; Farstrider, Jain (JAY-ihn) :A hero of the northern lands who journeyed to many lands and had many adventures; the author of several books, as well as being the subject of books and stories. He vanished in 981 NE, after returning from a trip into the Great Blight which some said had taken him all the way to Shayol Ghul. ; Father of Lies :See Dark One. ; First Prince of the Sword :Title normally held by the eldest brother of the Queen of Andor, who has been trained since childhood to command the Queen’s armies in time of war and to be her adviser in time of peace. If the Queen has no surviving brother, she will appoint someone to the title. ; fist :The basic military unit of the Trollocs, varying in number; always more than one hundred, but never more than two hundred. A fist is usually, but not always, commanded by a Myrddraal. ; Five Powers, the :There are threads to the One Power, and each person who can channel the One Power can usually grasp some threads better than others. These threads are named according to the sorts of things that can be done using them—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit—and are called the Five Powers. Any wielder of the One Power will have a greater degree of strength with one, or possibly two, of these, and lesser strength in the others. Some few may have great strength with three, but since the Age of Legends no one has had great strength with all five. Even then this was extremely rare. The degree of strength can vary greatly between individuals, so that some who can channel are much stronger than others. Performing certain acts with the One Power requires ability in one or more of the Five Powers. For example, starting or controlling a fire requires Fire, and affecting the weather requires Air and Water, while Healing requires Water and Spirit. While Spirit was found equally in men and women, great ability with Earth and/or Fire was found much more often among men, with Water and/or Air among women. There were exceptions, but it was so often so that Earth and Fire came to be regarded as male Powers, Air and Water as female. Generally, no ability is considered stronger than any other, though there is a saying among Aes Sedai: “There is no rock so strong that water and wind cannot wear it away, no fire so fierce that water cannot quench it or wind snuff it out.” It should be noted this saying came into use long after the last male Aes Sedai was dead. Any equivalent saying among male Aes Sedai is long lost. ; Flame of Tar Valon :The symbol of Tar Valon and the Aes Sedai. A stylized representation of a flame; a white teardrop with the point upward. ; Forsaken, the :Name given to thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai ever known, who went over to the Dark One during the War of the Shadow in return for the promise of immortality. According to both legend and fragmentary records, they were imprisoned along with the Dark One when his prison was resealed. Their names are still used to frighten children. G ; Galad (gah-LAHD):See Damodred, Lord Galadedrid. ; Gawyn (GAH-wihn):Queen Morgase’s son, Elayne’s brother, who will be First Prince of the Sword when Elayne ascends the throne. His sign is a white boar. ; gentling :The act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a male who can channel from the One Power. This is necessary because any man who learns to channel will go insane from the taint upon saidin and will almost certainly do horrible things with the Power in his madness. A man who has been gentled can still sense the True Source, but he cannot touch it. Whatever madness has come before gentling is arrested by the act of gentling, but not cured by it, and if it is done soon enough death can be averted. ; gleeman :A traveling storyteller, musician, juggler, tumbler and all-around entertainer. Known by their trademark cloaks of many-colored patches, they perform mainly in the villages and smaller towns, since larger towns and cities have other entertainments available. ; Great Blight, the :A region in the far north, entirely corrupted by the Dark One. A haunt of Trollocs, Myrddraal, and other creatures of the Dark One. ; Great Hunt of the Horn, the :A cycle of stories concerning the legendary search for the Horn of Valere, in the years between the end of the Trolloc Wars and the beginning of the War of the Hundred Years. If told in their entirety, the cycle would take many days. ; Great Lord of the Dark :The name by which Darkfriends refer to the Dark One, claiming that to use his true name would be blasphemous. ; Great Pattern :The Wheel of Time weaves the Patterns of the Ages into the Great Pattern, which is the whole of existence and reality, past, present and future. Also known as the Lace of Ages. See also Pattern of an Age; Wheel of Time. ; Great Serpent :A symbol for time and eternity, ancient before the Age of Legends began, consisting of a serpent eating its own tail.